Consolidated Q&A for Planex and CT AutoClean

[Administrator_JSVN]

Thanks Shane, I'll make those setting changes and try again. As for the harness, working on vaulted ceilings makes it tricky, wasn't sure which way to orient everything, sloping up towards me or away, or side to side, trying to not go beyond the heads articulation and also be efficient on my harness adjustments as I change elevations. As for learning on a lower ceiling, this is what I have to work on now so its into the deep end for me whether I like it or not.

I've not personally used it on a vaulted ceiling, but I think I would orient the sander so that the peak would be facing the peak of the roof, working left to right. That way you can hold the sander head back against the surface and keep it flat. Then again, I don't know the pitch so it's hard to say how it will work with the articulation.

 

[Paul G]

Thanks Shane, I'll make those setting changes and try again. As for the harness, working on vaulted ceilings makes it tricky, wasn't sure which way to orient everything, sloping up towards me or away, or side to side, trying to not go beyond the heads articulation and also be efficient on my harness adjustments as I change elevations. As for learning on a lower ceiling, this is what I have to work on now so its into the deep end for me whether I like it or not.

I've not personally used it on a vaulted ceiling, but I think I would orient the sander so that the peak would be facing the peak of the roof, working left to right. That way you can hold the sander head back against the surface and keep it flat. Then again, I don't know the pitch so it's hard to say how it will work with the articulation.

Yea, that's what I'm trying to do with the vault rising away from me, the vault isn't too steep changing about 3'  in a distance of 12' coming to a peak and descending to the opposite side of the room. I really need to have good steering control along that peak as well as circling all the retrofit can lights.

 

[Saskataper]

Yeah a vault for your first go with the Planex would be tricky but here are some pointers.

I'm not sure what your sanding but I'm assuming just regular drywall joints

First get some 220 or 240 grit that 150 will be quick to burn the paper and will grab a lot.
Second I'd say ditch the harness it makes it hard to move around, I only use mine for taking down texture where I'm moving slowly. I was sanding a 15' vault the other day and was able to sand to 11' with only one extension (i dont have the second extension but I am 6'2 so that helps)
Third on a ceiling set everything to max, you need the suction to hold the Planex up and the high speed of the head will let it move around easier. You should be able to just walk along letting it do its thing.
I sand counter clockwise, so right to left across the top of the joint, then back across the bottom and the back again down the middle.

Also when doing a ceiling I turn the autoclean frequency down because I'm relying on the suction to hold it up and when the AC kicks in the head will lose contact, I just stop when I need to and hit the switch to start the AC manually.

Here is a pic of the house i just sanded last week with a 15' vault, I'm sure if I had a second extension I could have sanded pretty much the whole thing aside from the very peak.

 

[Bikeboy80]

I would agree with ditching the harness on the vaulted ceiling...too finicky getting the elevation set with it.

I also have found that for higher ceilings instead of using the extra extension it is easier to use some scaffolding to stand on. The extra leverage needed to move it around with two extensions is a bit much sometimes.

 

[Paul G]

Yeah a vault for your first go with the Planex would be tricky but here are some pointers.

I'm not sure what your sanding but I'm assuming just regular drywall joints

First get some 220 or 240 grit that 150 will be quick to burn the paper and will grab a lot.
Second I'd say ditch the harness it makes it hard to move around, I only use mine for taking down texture where I'm moving slowly. I was sanding a 15' vault the other day and was able to sand to 11' with only one extension (i dont have the second extension but I am 6'2 so that helps)
Third on a ceiling set everything to max, you need the suction to hold the Planex up and the high speed of the head will let it move around easier. You should be able to just walk along letting it do its thing.
I sand counter clockwise, so right to left across the top of the joint, then back across the bottom and the back again down the middle.

Also when doing a ceiling I turn the autoclean frequency down because I'm relying on the suction to hold it up and when the AC kicks in the head will lose contact, I just stop when I need to and hit the switch to start the AC manually.

Here is a pic of the house i just sanded last week with a 15' vault, I'm sure if I had a second extension I could have sanded pretty much the whole thing aside from the very peak.

Sorry, should have mentioned I'm sanding drywall clean of the acoustic residue which has already been scraped off, in prep for skim coating then sanded smooth. It's a workflow I've used before with excellent results but previously used a random orbital hand sander hooked up to a dust deputy. The results are excellent as is the dust collection but my shoulders and elbows were eager for a less physically taxing solution hence the planex with harness.

Anyway, I did some more testing with the Planex tonight and tried a bunch of setting combinations and found my best control was when I reduced the vacuum a bunch, the suction pressure causes the abrasive to bite harder and scoot the planex. Faster speed helped but that was getting too aggressive even with 240 when moving slower, switching to perimiter vac also helped but of course you loose the weight holding assist. After using the harness its pretty clear it is a bust for this type of work, especially since adjusting the pole is best done on the ground.

I also skim coat walls to fill in texture and sand them to make them smooth, and I tried that to see how smooth the Planex will do. Unfortunately the swirl marks were overabundant. Adding an interface pad helped but then the dust collection seriously dropped in effeciency even with pumping up the vacuum setting. Still theres a lot of swirl marks and I'm pretty sure some will print to my final coat of spray.

Again looking for suggestions, this time to make a super smooth, swirl free surface, while also preserving the dust collection. If only the Planex had a random orbital setting, problem solved (TBH I didn't realize beforehand that the Planex wasn't random orbital). Thanks everyone for all the suggestions thus far, hopefully I'll get to where I need things to be, that being precise head control, smooth finish with no swirl marks and good dust control.

Also curious how you all start the unit when working a ceiling. I got some gouges applying the unit to the ceiling after starting, seems safer to start after pressing it flush to the ceiling.

 

[Bikeboy80]

Let me just confirm your experience....you are getting swirl marks on the wall using 240 with or without the interface pad?

How fast are you moving across the surface? Speed and vac setting?

On walls I move it fairly fast across on a lower vac setting and high speed.

 

[Paul G]

Let me just confirm your experience....you are getting swirl marks on the wall using 240 with or without the interface pad?

How fast are you moving across the surface? Speed and vac setting?

On walls I move it fairly fast across on a lower vac setting and high speed.

Yes, with the interface pad, though not as bad as without. The problem areas are especially where I change the direction of travel or slowing the movement like when near an electrical outlet or AC register. Is the dust collection supposed to be worse with the interface pad?

 

[Saskataper]

You need this set to use the interface pads

http://festoolcanada.com/power-tool-accessories/sanders/pads/planex-pad-set-496106

I think festool needs to clarify that fact. Really it should be the stock pad in my opinion. It has a lower profile to accommodate the height of the interface pad.

 

[Paul G]

So I called Festool to discuss this more, as for the dust issue with the interface pad, turns out I have the wrong pads. I was told I need to buy the set, I did buy the set, the Interface Pad Set for Planex LHS 225 Drywall Sander, 2-Pack - 496140 - "The foam interface pad allows the Planex's sanding pad to conform to irregular shapes, like rounded corners." That seems like the logical choice per the description but apparently I needed to buy the PLANEX Pad Set - 496106 - "Replacement sanding pad as well as a special soft sanding pad set with two interface pads, perfect for more delicate curves and contours." Poor product descriptions on the website have been noted before, now it's bitten me. Would help to say in the description of 496140 that 496106 is required. The guy from Festool said using the right interface pad will likely reduce the swirl marks as well. I'm skeptical, I understand reducing the dust but how would it change the swirl marks? Extremely frustrated though with doing more waiting when I need to be working, with cabinets on their way I need to get busy my old school way, planex to be returned unfortunately.

You need this set to use the interface pads

http://festoolcanada.com/power-tool-accessories/sanders/pads/planex-pad-set-496106

I think festool needs to clarify that fact. Really it should be the stock pad in my opinion. It has a lower profile to accommodate the height of the interface pad.

Yup, was posting the same when you did. The website needs changing.

 

[Saskataper]

The Planex does take some practice but once you have it down the results are amazing. I just sanded out a high end house house today and had very few swirl marks. I go over every inch of the house with my syslight and a sponge after and only found the occasional swirl and I use ultralight mud witch scratches if you look at it wrong. The key is speed, I ran the Planex on 5-6 and was really moving. I am even getting the hang of sanding the angles with it, which has me pumped.

 

[Dogwood]

Hey there guys,

I just picked up the Planex and CT36 AC. I'm struggling... Any help or pointers would be appreciated!

I'm redoing my garage (walls and medium/light textured ceiling.):

-I have 180 grit and 220 grit and have had more control with the 220.
-I've tried inside and outside suction and every time I use the outside it suddenly sucks hard right down to the drywall even with lower suction. Also there is now "help" with the weight of the tool as some have mentioned.
-I had pretty good results doing the walls with the Planex set to anywhere from 4-6 speed and 2 or higher vac (on the wand, the CT I have on max, correct?)
-When doing the ceilings I can't seem to get over the head not wanting to tilt. I'm either digging the toe (farthest part of the tool) or have the heel floating off the wall.  I seem to have to push up hard to try and press the entire pad against the ceiling which is exhausting and causes the tool to become difficult to handle.

I read this whole thread, watched all the videos, and felt reasonably confident. But after using it I feel humbled, and tired When I have the head of the planex on the ceiling directly in front of my body like Saskatape in his vid I have to push quite hard to get it to seat.

Thanks for any help guys!

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Here's my feedback, Dogwood...

- Leave the motor speed set to 6. Using a slower speed may actually make it more difficult to use because the pad has trouble overcoming the friction of the abrasive. Use the highest grit you have until you get the hang of it.
- Suction should be 100% on the CT AC.
- Use the extraction setting for the inside of the pad. The only time to use outside the pad is if you are sanding something that will produce debris too large for the holes in the pad, like a popcorn ceiling.
- I have found that between 3-4 is pretty optimal in my use of the Planex for controlling the suction on the handle. This is a good balance of holding the pad to the wall without so much suction that it doesn't want to glide across the surface.
- Get the hang of it on walls before trying to work overhead.
- When possible, place the pad on the surface and then start the motor. That will lessen the likelihood of gouging by mistakenly setting the pad down crooked. With practice, you can get the hang of it and keep the motor running while applying the pad to the wall.
- If working overhead, it's best to use the harness because it helps support the weight of the machine as well as keep the pad flat on the surface.

See if any of that helps. I'm sure other Planex users will have some feedback as well.

Shane

 

[Bikeboy80]

I have found using one of the soft interface pads when sanding the ceiling helps greatly with reducing the gouging.

Also if I am sanding the ceiling without the harness I hold the tool more or less across my body. It seems to give me more control then holding it straight out which is what I would do while using the harness.

 

[tjbnwi]

What height ceilings?

Tom

 

[Dogwood]

Thanks a lot for the pointers.

The ceilings are just over eight feet. There is a small stem wall that adds 6-12". I didn't get the harness and extension as I thought it was for 10' or more. Plus the added expense. I also didn't get the interface pad since the ceiling texture is not too large. Do you guys think that to do 8' walls and ceilings with minimal texture I should be buying all these? Do you use the additional extension for 8' ceilings? Man, this is a big layout for doing something I've always disliked... [blink]

Also, what do you guys have the AC set at?

Once again thanks!

 

[Saskataper]

Did you see this vid of mine?


This was a lightly textured 8' ceiling that was not painted only primed before it was textured. I used 220 grit brilliant and had the planex set to perimeter extraction to take off the bulk of the texture with the harness on then set it to centre extraction without the harness to get it nice and smooth. I had all the settings on max including the AC. Normally I would use a courser paper and it would go a lot faster but this ceiling was in really good shape and I didn't want to burn through the primer so it was pretty much ready to paint after I was done, just needed a few touch ups.
I wouldn't buy the harness for just one job but it is a workout as when you're taking down texture you don't get the benefit of the suction to hold some of the weight cause the surface is to rough and the planex collects more dust and I don't use the interface pads when I'm taking down texture either.

 

[Dogwood]

Well thanks everyone for the pointers! I was wondering when you guys do use the interface pad?

Saskatape- I watched that vid. I'll try to replicate the same thing hopefully today. Great video thanks.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

The interface pad is basically a foam backing that allows the abrasive to conform to the surface easier. It's far less rigid than the pad itself. You would use it when you want a super-smooth finish or when working on irregular shapes. I've not tried it personally, but I do see where it would help prevent accidental gouging.

 

[Dogwood]

Well I tried a few days ago using the planex for a quick touch up before re coating and it seemed to go well. But then last night I went to use it and had major problems. I realized I had the suction set to outside of pad and when I switched to inside it was even worse [blink]

Basically the ct is at max, suction set to inside, 220 grit, and I played around with all the speed and extraction settings on the handle. I can see what Shane is saying about the high speed setting overcoming the friction and making it easier the trouble it there was dust everywhere! Not just a bit, but clouds of it puffing out the perimeter of the head. I could lower the speed but it was harder to control but dust extraction was better. If I put the extraction above maybe 2.5 the head would suck so hard against the wall I could barely move it unless I was at a really high speed...

Essentially fast spews dust, higher dust extraction sucks it too hard to the wall.

What am I doing wrong here guys?! Saskatape mentioned compound being really soft, I a just using the ready mix compound that comes in a bucket from the big box stores. Could that be a factor?

Thanks again I appreciate it!

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

May I suggest that you call and talk to one of our application specialists? They may be able to better assist you by phone. 888-337-8600

I'm surprised that 2.5 causes it to stick to the wall. Like I said, in my experience 3-4 is the sweet spot.

Is the mud fairly smooth to begin with or are there a lot of ridges and peaks? That could possible cause the dust to kick out like you're describing I guess. Big box mud shouldn't be an issue.